Lore Sheet: The Interstellar State of Pax Terra
Preface: The Interstellar State of Pax Terra (Also referred to as the Global State of Terra, or commonly as just Pax Terra) is Earth's only nation in the year 3995. Over a millennial period, Earth's society was transformed from a very divided planet into a single, space-faring civilization. The highly influential Caruso family started the change upon discovering a particle that was always moving faster than the speed of light, Starlight Particles, being named after the corporation owned by the Caruso family. Using this new particle, Starlight Industries monopolized the space exploration and technology market, soon becoming more powerful and making more discoveries than all space studying public projects like NASA. Meanwhile, many of the world's elite, including the Caruso's, began to make plans to use their wealth and status to take true control of the populace of various nations. By using their money and influence to rig elections and manipulate agendas, soon plans had begun for a merger between various nations across the world. Nations who did not buy into this idea were either intimidated into joining, or even had wars waged against them to force their territory into the United Nation. Soon, this United Nation became what is currently known as the Global Government, which has ultimate control over the economy and culture of Pax Terra, though makes itself seem completely secular from such things. To help the masses accept this merging of cultures and nations, the Global Government revived interest in the Roman Empire, claiming to be their successor. Instead of using nationalism, the Global Government encouraged people to believe in humanism, with an ideology that humans should not be separated by anything, and should all work together to advance their race. This worked, and the majority of Earth's population began working the way the Global Government wanted them to. State-Latin was introduced, the new language of Earth, and now at birth, a chip is planted into children's heads that allow them to access the entire language. Soon the Global Government began to use Starlight technology to explore the galaxy and began setting up colonies on other planets. Global Government Due to its massive size, the Global Government has lots of small parts that fit together to form it. In order to make sure that the wealthy's interests are almost always represented, they designed a purposefully intricate system that makes it difficult for outsiders to gain power. Elections, while technically free in Pax Terra, are riddled with corruption and backstabbing. It is not uncommon for politicians to utilize their wealth to destroy opponents or make sure they cannot be heard. However, not anyone can become a politician. In order to become a politician, you must have 7 years of a corporate affiliation before you can even join the only party in the Global Government, the Pax Terran Globalist Affiliation (PTGA). Even once you join the party, you then must have 5 years of party affiliation before you can run for any form of political office. As further evidence of election freedom not being absolute, citizens can only elect politicians on Pax Terra. While this does include the most important election, the election of the Executive Minister, it still means that all other planets have their leaders chosen by the PTGA, so the people of other planet colonies have no say in their local government. Cesare Caruso: Despite their power and influence, Cesare Caruso is the first of the Caruso's to actually hold the office of Executive Minister. In order to win the election, Cesare used his flamboyancy and young age to appeal to the younger generation of Pax Terra and used his mind and policies to win over the older generation. Many in the party went behind Caruso, knowing his Ministry would be good for the Global Government. However, like any election, Cesare was not unopposed. Four others were in the election as well. However, due to Caruso's wealth and influence, he easily crushed his opponents. He made sure their speeches would be "accidentally" interrupted, got the media to hold a bias against them, and even had one hospitalized in a suspicious plane accident. However, whenever anyone attempted to expose Caruso, they would either mysteriously die or suddenly change their mind about wanting to reveal their information, thus leaving the public without answers on what Cesare was really doing in his campaign. With his nearly flawless strategy, Cesare won with 94% of the vote, making him win by such a landslide that it surpassed all previous records. Arieh Wallach: One of Cesare's closest business partners was soon picked to be his Minister of War. Arieh Wallach is an Israeli businessman and general for the Sol System Justice Bureau. Known for being completely ruthless and pushing for increased expansion of Pax Terran territory and influence in the galaxy, he has destroyed several politicians and businessmen to get where he is. He also uses various military and law enforcement branches to his own advantage to protect his personal interests, making him one of the most corrupt politicians in power in Pax Terra. He also currently holds the monopoly on military technology development, as his company buys out all smaller business that shares similar purpose to his. While this does mean that military and law enforcement always have state of the art equipment, it also means that Arieh essentially controls what military technology the government can get its hands on, meaning there is a good chance that when Cesare is no longer Executive Minister, Arieh will still be able to hold his position. Colonies of Pax Terra Mars: Despite being the first planet to be colonized by the Global Government, Mars has a reputation for being very similar to the wild west of Old America. Other than the largest cities on Mars, much of the planet is lawless, with law enforcement and punishment being left to individual cities. This means that the many rebel and terrorist groups that wish to topple the Global Government often set up their base here. As such, teams like Cambin Mossa are often sent here to take out large threats to the Interstellar State. Groups such as the Superior Sons and the Liberty Brigade are among the biggest dangers on Mars, though many see the Liberty Brigade as more heroic than the government. Despite being terraformed to be inhabitable, much of Mars is still a red desert. Mars' two moons, Phobos and Deimos are even more untamed than the planet they gravitate around, to the point that the base of the Superior Sons is on Deimos. Venus: Venus is often seen as the opposite of Mars. Being the second planet settled, Venus did not suffer the same uncivilized fate as Mars. Rather, Venus became a planet renowned for its beauty and soon became a very popular tourist spot. Many corporations call this planet the home of their headquarters, including Starlight Industries. The Starlight Tower alone generates almost 20% of all tourist revenue on Venus and is regarded as the most visited man-made tourist spot in the entire Interstellar State. Pluto: The dwarf planet of Pluto was heavily terraformed to make it even close to habitable for human life. While it is now habitable, it's cold and hostile environment-wise, making it have a very low population. Used mostly for mining and storing prisoners. The Pluto Planetary Patrol (PPP) is known for their aggressive guard of the dwarf planet, often causing trouble for people there on business, since they are trained to quickly catch escaped prisoners. The Interstellar State has far more colonies outside of the Sol Star System, though these three are the most important for varying reasons. Pax Terran Society Society, on a basic level, hasn't changed all that much from its roots before the Global Government. Sports are still incredibly popular, though most sports in Pax Terra are far more dangerous than they used to be, and that is the reason people like them. The definition of sport has been expanded as well, with recreational hacking becoming a sport in Pax Terra. There is a commonly accepted notion that small businesses are not productive enough for human society, which is why there is almost no small business in Pax Terran territories. Most small businesses are illegal businesses like weapons and drug dealers. However, this notion originates from lies told by the corporations to attempt to keep any people not already in their circle from potentially gaining as much power as they have. Despite this, however, some people have tried to start small businesses on Pax Terra, but there is often a social backlash, and occasionally these business owners even disappear. Racism and homophobia are almost universally unknown, with Pax Terran society being much more tolerant of other people. However, this tolerance mostly stems from the fact that openly discussing race and sexuality are not common in society anymore, and the people who do it the most are the Superior Sons, who are already hated for their views. Transhumanism is also common, though only to a certain extent. It is seen as normal for humans to augment themselves with DNA manipulation or robotics, thought merging your DNA with that of an animal or changing your brain with robotics is heavily frowned upon and almost only used by criminals. Pax Terran Technology The Vigil: All AI is outlawed, due to the "Pax Terran Self-Reliance Act", except for one AI. This AI, known as "The Vigil" is an AI that is seemingly omnipresent on all Pax Terran planets, and can be used for reporting crimes, learning information, and simply making conversation. The Vigil was created by Starlight Industries, with Alberto Caruso himself supervising the project. With the Vigil appearing to be everywhere on planets belonging to Pax Terra, it is highly speculated that it is used to spy on citizens and gathers data about them. Further theories suggest that the Caruso family uses the information gathered by the Vigil to work against their political enemies. This is further supported by the fact that every major name attached to the Vigil's creation has either disappeared or died under mysterious circumstances, even the chief developer Ronald Bluwik. War Mechs: One of the most produced war technologies the Global Government produces are massive war mechs. These hulking war machines can do nearly anything, from launch missiles, lasers, release sonic bursts or just stomp anything out of existence. However, they can take just as much as they give, with nuclear bombs not even phasing these mechanical monsters. Despite their effectiveness against enemies, they have commonly been used to intimidate rebels as well. During the Chinese Rebellions against the Global Government, these were sent to not only deal with the situation but also to intimidate the rebel forces into staying dormant after the assault. This tactic worked, and there have been no major insurgencies on Earth since the mechs made their debut. Terran Pulsar: The deadliest weapon of war owned by the Global Government is the Terran Pulsar. A massive expanding shield that can cover 1/10th of an average planet, the Terran Pulsar charges up by absorbing particles in the atmosphere of the target planet, leaving massive exhaust coming out of the top. Once charged, each holo-panel of the shield releases a series of sonic bursts that can completely demolish a planet's surface. This weapon has been tested on various uninhabited planets, and once on a populated one. During a surprise attack, half of the Pax Terran fleet came out and assaulted the Leik'an planet of Ui-Lera. The fleet was only a distraction, however, which kept the military away from the Terran Pulsar until it was too late. The planet's population of 17,987,039 was killed, along with approximately 1/5th of the Leik'an military. Wormholes: Using small machines called "Spatial Diggers", wormholes can be opened up from one positioning of a digger to another. Despite their small size, diggers create a massive distortion in the space around them, allowing for safe travel of ships in long distances. However, the technology is not yet perfected, as there is no accurate way to send the second digger to your preferred location, meaning that one will have to be dropped in advance before you can properly use a wormhole. This means that wormholes are not effect for short term usage and escaping. However, they have found great use by merchants and military personnel. Virtual Reality: Virtual Reality has become a large part of life in Pax Terra. Its uses range from personal entertainment, military simulations all the way to developing all new technologies that are still in the idea stage. While it's a surprisingly old technology on Pax Terra, through advancement and possibilities, it has managed to stay relevant for hundreds of years and never go out of style or use. Holographic Technology : Another old but still widespread technology is the tech of holograms. Like Virtual Reality, it has remained relevant for hundreds of years due to its immense range of uses. Communication and interactive screens are the two primary uses for holograms, though there are much more discovered and undiscovered. However, holograms were not invented by Pax Terra. Upon developing space travel, Pax Terrans met the Riengs, a very tech-savvy race. Pax Terrans adapted this technology to suit their needs and have been using it for hundreds of years since. Space Travel: The most important innovation ever utilized by Pax Terra is undoubtedly space travel. Monopolized by Starlight Industries, almost every current event, and technology involving space has the Starlight name on it. Interstellar ships are powered by Starlight Cores, which are the most efficient space travel cores you can find, which use Starlight particles to allow ships to travel through space. While there are other cores out there, Starlight Industries has nearly monopolized the market for space travel in the galaxy, meaning their cores are the most common and most stable cores around. However, cores only last about two years each, allowing Starlight Industries to profit far more frequently than if they lasted longer. Threats to Pax Terra Internal Threats The Superior Sons: One of the largest rebel groups inside Pax Terra is the ever-growing Superior Sons Movement (SS or SSM). A nationalist movement taking inspiration from the Nazi party and sharing many of its core ideas, the Superior Sons is extremely large and highly aggressive. Unlike most rebellion groups within Pax Terra, the Superior Sons will also indulge in hate crimes and kill as many civilians as possible in terror attacks. Their actions have caused them to become hated by other rebellion groups along with the Global Government. Liberty Brigade: The most easily recognized rebellion group in Pax Terra is the Liberty Brigade. Unlike many other groups that seem to be working towards the same end as them, little over fifty percent of the citizens of Pax Terra have a favorable view of the Liberty Brigade. The Liberty Brigade uses this to their advantage, with recruitment being far easier for them than most other movements calling for revolution. Another tactic that makes the Liberty Brigade so effective is their good timing and planning, allowing them to deal devastating blows to planetary militaries. While many groups claim to be the most destructive to the Global Government, the Liberty Brigade truly holds that title. The Network of Syndicates: Moving away from Rebel groups, the Network of Syndicates is a society of criminal groups often operating within Pax Terran territory. While they aren't always assisting each other, having a network to link these organizations together makes it easier to do business with one another, often increasing profits altogether. The network also makes hiring hitmen and other odd-job takers like Fraus Gaudium and Orlik DeMossa far easier. External Threats The Empire of Leik'a: The Empire of Leik'a is the oldest extraterrestrial enemy of Pax Terra. Unlike the highly secular Interstellar State, the Empire of Leik'a is extremely zealous about their religious beliefs. According to their god, Juruo-Itaan, all who oppose his holiness (The emperor) should be erased from this realm of existence. The Leik'a take this literally, as well. They have been known to commit genocide unto entire races and destroy entire planets to achieve what they want. However, they are not completely zealous, as they will make alliances with other races when it benefits them, though this is not often. Their military is formidable, known to be one of the most deadly and destructive in all of the galaxy. The Leik'ans themselves are a problem, as they are extremely difficult to kill due to their biology absorbing kinetic force. However, the most easily exploited weakness Leik'ans have is fire, which they are afraid of and completely unprotected against. However, they have developed technology to guard them against fire, making it not the most simplistic form of weaponry against them. Due to hostile relations, the Empire of Leik'a and Pax Terra are technically in perpetual war, though due to strong defenses on both sides neither has tried to attack a planet of another in hundreds of Galactic years. Murlusts: Unlike the Empire of Leik'a the Murlusts are a far different breed of hostile lifeform. When all known sentient galactic races came together for the United Understanding Initiative, an act almost all known races participated in that gave all living members of each participating race free chips to install in their brains that would act as universal translators, the Murlusts refused to participate. Being known as aggressive in the first place, this only heightened tensions between them and the rest of the galaxy. They often kidnap unsuspecting subjects of other races and force them into terrifying and seemingly pointless experiments. Due to the Murlusts refusing to communicate with other races, it makes these seemingly random experiments all the more horrifying for the residents of the galaxy. All the worse is that Murlusts have no government. They are spread throughout the galaxy in gangs, meaning that there's no way to truly defeat them other than killing all of them, which would be labeled a crime against the galaxy. This makes Murlusts far tedious to deal with on a galactic scale. Ileichs: Around the galaxy, many large, organic masses float around space, seemingly dead. However, these are Ileichs, which should never be approached under any circumstance. These gigantic masses devour all that they encounter, including planets and stars. To speed up the consumption process, they often form smaller organisms to devour smaller things out of their direct reach. However, these beings only last for about one galactic hour and never reproduce, leading to a debate on if Ileichs are living or more like viruses. No matter what they are, however, they are feared by all races, as one has the power to destroy entire civilizations. Category:Lore Sheets Category:Anti-Orthodox